In the wake of her husband Ezekiel Otuoma’s death TikTok creator and interior designer Racheal Otuoma has been navigating the choppy waters od widowhood while in the public eye with a blend of grace, strength and a dash of humour every once in a while.
The digital content creator recently opened up about her current stance of love and the prospect of remarriage seeing as she is still young, and she and Ezekiel had no kids together.
Speaking with Racheal during a segment on his YouTube channel, Oga Obinna brought up the subject by questioning, “there is a time I think you said you will never get married again, right?” Interestingly the TikToker ignored the question filling the room with pin drop silence. After a while she let out a chuckle that had Obinna questioning things.
“Why are you laughing? Kwani you’ve changed your mind? Hiyo kicheko ni kama kuna kitu…” The YouTuber sort to find out. Racheal tried as much as she possibly could to dodge the question by laughing uncontrollably.
Finally, she responded by stating, “I said I’ll never take off my ring, especially this one that belongs to him. I said I’ll never remove it,”
Racheal Otuoma with her hubby Ezekiel Otuoma before his passing
“I have never removed this ring, and I’ll never remove it. If I gain weight, I’ll have it expanded, if I lose weight I’ll have resized to fit my fingers,” Racheal candidly shared. Adding, “this ring is a symbol of my love for him and it will never leave my hand,”
Not giving up on his earlier interrogation, Obinna pushed the widow to open up on if she would consider remarrying and how she would deal with the situation if her new man voiced he was uncomfortable with her holding onto her ex by wearing the ring.
“But ndoa umesema? So, ring umesema hautatoa but ndoa itafanyika…” Obinna questioned which was met by more awkward laughter from Racheal. “What if the other guy isn’t comfortable with it and feels like you are holding onto your past?” The YouTuber further questioned despite being met with silence and light chuckles.
Responding to this and trying to lay the awkward conversation to rest, Racheal shared, “I don’t think if I’ll love someone… I don’t think I will ever get into a serious, like serious marriage thing again.
I can never love another man the way I loved Otuoma and I don’t want to be loved. I don’t want to be in a marriage. I know there are so many men waiting for me and I get so many messages and DM’s with people trying to court me but I just can’t. It will never be the same…”
During a past media post, Racheal stated that she has worn the ring since their marriage in 2015 and has not removed it, even after his burial. “I have never taken off my wedding ring since 2015, not even when I buried my husband. What reason would I have to remove it now? Even in my old photos, I always have it on. Why would I take it off now? People just want to create stories.”
She also addressed comments suggesting her decision was unusual, saying she had received advice confirming the acceptability of honouring her husband in this way.
“No matter who you are, I will keep wearing my husband’s ring. Niliambiwa kuvaa ring haina shida yoyote,” she stated.
Ezekiel, who passed away from motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 31, was laid to rest on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at his home in Gem Ramula, Siaya County.
Ezekiel’s diagnosis which was discovered in 2020 brought a halt to a promising football career. Known for his exceptional speed and ball-handling skills, he played for several top Kenyan clubs, including AFC Leopards, Ulinzi Stars, Talanta, and the now-defunct Western Stima and Muhoroni Youth among others.
The two had been married for 9 years, and did not have any kids due to Ezekiel’s battle with Motor Neuron Disease.
In a past interview, Racheal emotionally recounted how the late footballers’ illness started off as a joke stating, “Otuoma started getting sick like the flu. We gave him homemade concoctions. His voice kept going away, his speech became slurred.
A team player suggested we go and have tests carried out. We looked for a neurologist. The tests were carried out and he was diagnosed with Motor neuron disease,”
by hannie petra
